24-Oct-03, Tom and Charles boarded a plane at Heathrow, peered out of the window, and saw Concord take off for the last time. We were on our way to see friends in Switzerland.

Bill, Emma and their two boys, Alex and Mikey, were eagerly waiting our arrival as it had been snowing the day before and tobogganing was at the top of their list of weekend acticities. The moment Tom was given a sledge he was hooked. Screaming with excitement, he'd slide 150m down the side of a mountain and then drag the sledge back to the summit to do it again. (and again and again)  It was a paradise for kids, and some, as young as two years old, were hurling themselves down at speeds of 15mph with parents and dogs dodging in all directions. Nothing could persuade these kids to go home.

Thanks for  a thrilling weekend guys. When we come back in the summer we'll definitely join you cycling and sleeping in barns. The Swiss have this marvellous pastime called schlaf im stroh (sleep in straw). Whole families go cycling or hiking  and meet up with other families to sleep the night on straw in  barns. We're up for that. You can definitely count us in.